A Philosophy of Global Pluralism : A Multicultural Approach to Political Theory

Taking a global approach, this is the first book to truly do a political theory based on world philosophy. This book makes a case for the necessity of broadening the prevailing paradigm in which the study of normative political theory has been confined almost exclusively to Western works. The author argues for the inclusion of works of political thought from various non-Western civilizational traditions which do not always conform to the methodological canons of Western philosophy, so as to foster a global dialogue on perennial questions of political theory. She also challenges the assertion that there is a "clash of civilizations" between the West and other civilizations, arguing instead that all traditions are multi-vocal, so that adherents of various traditions can find common intellectual ground with each other, as well as points of contention with members of their own traditions. Taking a multi-cultural approach to political theory, this book explores a sample of Western and non-western thinkers'positions on key questions of normative political philosophy. The author includes thinkers from Confucian, Buddhist, Hindu, Islamic, African, and Western traditions to synthesize a new approach to political theory. Her thesis is that there are very few scholars employing a multicultural approach to political theory, and that engaging in dialogue with other cultural traditions can bring a superior understanding of others and lead to an increase in global understanding.